Mistreatment of children and teenagers and traumatic reactions

Abstract

Serious stressful conditions in children, like neglect, emotional or sexual abuse within the family can result in traumas with symptoms that are currently not included in post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The consequences of this complex trauma affect psychological development , and their characteristics are actually diagnosed in the category of non-specific extreme posttraumatic stress disorder (DESNOS, Pelcovitz et al., 1992), alterations of which include: a) emotional regulation and impulse control; b) memory and attention; c) self-perception; d) interpersonal relationships; e) somatization, and f) system of meanings. These symptoms are included in the proposal of a new diagnostic category: extreme or complex posttraumatic stress disorder (CPSTD). The specific characteristics of this disorder in minors that present complex trauma are being investigated (Cook et al., 2005). Data are presented on the symptomatology of complex trauma in maltreated minors.